Baguio shivers in Yule chill

BAGUIO CITY – There’s a definite nip in the air up here among the pine trees.

Residents here woke up yesterday morning to a chilly 12.4 degrees Celsius, the lowest temperature so far since the onset of the cold season in the City of Pines.

At dawn last Friday, mercury levels reached a low of 13.3 degrees Celsius.

Government weatherman Efren Danipog said the drop in temperature is caused by the tail-end of a cold front emanating from the Pacific Ocean from the eastern part of Northern Luzon.

Temperatures will further dip towards January and February, Danipog of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in Baguio said.

“It may drop to a low of nine degrees Celsius,” added Danipog.

Baguio and Benguet highlands experience the so-called “cold tri-months” from December to February.

Last January, Baguio saw a low of 10.6 degrees and 9.2 degrees Celsius. In January 2006, the lowest was only 11 degrees Celsius.

Further up north in Benguet, the temperature might even drop to 6 degrees Celsius like in highland Atok town, raising threats of frost in vegetable farms.

The lowest temperature in the Baguio highlands was recorded on Jan. 18, 1961 when the mercury level dipped to 6.3 degrees.

The chilly climate that began Friday was also felt in parts of the Visayas and Mindanao which is experiencing a cold front, said Letty Obispo, Pagasa weather forecaster.

Weak La Niña

Above normal temperatures might continue to affect some parts of the country until early next year, as state weather forecasters predict the development of a weak La Niña.

In a monthly weather outlook, Pagasa said some models suggest the development of a weak La Niña during December 2008 to March 2009.

La Niña is a weather phenomenon characterized by excessive rainfall.

“There are some models which show the possible development of La Niña in early 2009,” Pagasa weather branch chief Nathaniel Cruz told The STAR.

Cruz said heavy rains experienced in some areas in the country in the past weeks could be an indicator of La Niña.

“We have to closely monitor the current condition… although we have a La Niña-like condition, the values (of rainfall) especially of the sea surface temperature so far still fall short of the La Niña threshold,” he said.

Pagasa said based on current conditions and a majority of climate model forecasts, the neutral condition of the sea surface temperature is expected to continue until the end of the year.

Pagasa senior weather specialist Daisy Ortega earlier said the sea surface temperature must be negative 0.5 degrees Celsius and below for three to five consecutive months before the weather bureau could officially declare a La Niña phenomenon.

Pagasa said weather systems that are expected to affect the country this month are the northeast monsoon, the tail-end of the cold front, intertropical convergence zone or ITCZ, ridge of high pressure area, and possible development of one tropical cyclone.

“There is a high probability that western and central Luzon and Southern Leyte will receive above normal rainfall while most parts of the country will have near normal rainfall conditions,” it said.

The weather bureau said temperatures for the month are expected to be slightly warmer than normal, ranging from 21 to 32 degrees Celsius for Luzon; 15 to 23 degrees Celsius over Luzon’s mountainous areas; 22 to 31 degrees Celsius for the Visayas; 21 to 32 degrees Celsius for Mindanao and 18 to 29 degrees Celsius over its mountainous areas. – With Helen Flores